Pep Guardiola wants to bring Lucas Paqueta to Man City
Manchester City clinched a fourth-consecutive Premier League title with a 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday and are already planning for the transfer window.
The Cityzens’ season isn’t over yet, either, with Pep Guardiola’s side preparing for an FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United this weekend.
Guardiola is keen to bolster his formidable squad with a new midfielder this summer and West Ham star Lucas Paqueta has been on the manager’s radar for some time.
Man City came close to securing a deal for the talented Brazilian last summer before the transfer collapsed due to an investigation into alleged betting breaches.
They are now ready to reignite their interest in Paqueta and reports from Spain claim that they’ve already reached a ‘salary agreement’ with the midfielder.
The 26-year-old has an £85m release clause in his contract with West Ham and they are demanding it is paid in full.
Man City ‘willing’ to trigger Lucas Paqueta release clause
According to transfer journalist Santi Aouna, Paqueta’s ‘priority’ is to join Man City this summer.
It’s claimed that the Cityzens will open concrete negotiations over a deal in ‘the next weeks’ and remain confident they will bring him in.
Paqueta signed for West Ham in the summer of 2022 and has established himself as one of their most important players.
He made 43 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring eight goals and making seven assists in the process.
David Moyes will be replaced as Hammers boss by Julen Lopetegui, so the new manager will undoubtedly try and convince Paqueta to stay.
Everything points towards him joining Man City at this stage, though, and reports suggest they’d be willing to pay his £85m release clause if they’re unable to negotiate a cheaper deal.
Paqueta could provide competition for Kevin de Bruyne at the Etihad, who has been linked with a shock big-money move to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.
Man City are expected to step up their transfer plans after the FA Cup final, so it will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming weeks.
